Electricity Basics Flashcards by Delaney Payne

What is electricity?

An atom contains charged particles. It consists of a positively charged nucleus and protons and negatively charged electrons
•Normally the number of electrons is the same as the number of protons and the atom is neutral.
•Electric charges can be stationary, as in static electricity (tactile issue), or moving, as in an electric current.

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How is current induced?

By an imbalance of + & - charges

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What does current need?

A conductor. Such as metals, water, people

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What do insulators do?

Inhibit flor of current. Rubber porcelain and wood

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How do electrons flow?

From the - to the + side

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What are the 2 type is circuits?

Series Circuit
Parallel Circuit

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What is a series circuit?

Old fashioned Christmas lights

every device must function for the circuit to be complete. If one bulb burns out in a series circuit, the
entire circuit is broken.

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What is a parallel circuit?

Standard for all buildings.
The voltage across each of the components is the same, and the total current is the sum of the currents flowing through each component

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What is voltage?

The difference in electric potential between two points and is measured in volts,

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What is current?

the rate of flow of electric charge past a point or regions and is measured in amps,

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What is resistance?

an electrical quantity that measures how the device or material reduces the electric current flow through it and is measured in ohms.

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What is electrical power?

is the rate, per unit time, at which electrical energy is transferred by an electric circuit and is measured in watts.

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What does DC stand for?

Direct current

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What does AC stand for?

Alternating Current.

CURRENT CHANGES DIRECTION BACK AND FORTH AT A FIXED FREQUENCY (RATE)

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What is standards power supplied at?

60 Hz

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Which is easier to transform DC or AC?

AC power is easily transformed- voltage can be stepped down

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How many volts do standard residential outlet provide?

120 V

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What is Photovoltaic?

Photo means light voltaic means electricity. These cells on very sunlight directly into electricity. PV cells are made of special materials called semiconductors such as silicon

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What do PC cells produce?

DC power. The use an inverter to convert DC to AC

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What is net metering?

An electricity billing mechanism that allows consumers who generate some or all of their own electricity to use that electricity anytime, instead of when it is generated

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How is electrical device provided?

Via the device conductor

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What happens to incoming power?

It is metered before it goes into the transformed vault

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What happens after incoming power is metered?

Is connects directly to the main service panels

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Where is the main service panel located?

Utility room or switchgear room

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What does a service panel have?

A disconnect or device switch

Where does power go from the service panel

Into the switch board or panel board which includes breakers or fuses

What distributed power to outlets?

Branch circuits

How is a fuse/ break tripped?

When current exceeds the capacity of the wire or line

A continuous load on a circuit should not exceed ______ of its rated capacity

80% Example: A 15amp CIRCUIT SHOULD HAVE A CONTINUOUS LOAD OF 12amperes

The Power Equation

The general form is W=I xV W=Watts I=Amps V=volts

Power equation example To determine the total number of amps needed for 2,500 watts of standard 120-volt line-voltage lighting:

A = 2,500/120 A = 20.83 amps

Hot wire

Carries the electrical power generated by your local utility Usually a black wire

Neutral wire

closes the loop. When you throw a switch to turn on an electric device, you are essentially connecting the hot and neutral wires together and creating a circuit for electricity to flow. Usually a white wire

Ground Wire

carries electricity into the ground rather than letting it travel other less desirable routes. Usually a green color

What does GFCI stand for?

Ground Fault Circuit Interruptors fast-acting circuit breaker designed to shut off electric power in the event of a ground-fault

Emergency electrical systems

U.P.S system Battery or generator back up Essential for tech heavy loads

What does U.P.S. Stand for?

Uninterruptible power supply

What does PURPA stand for?

Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act

____ _____ show how wiring is run vertically

Riser Diagrams

____ is a form of energy that occurs naturally only in uncontrolled forms

electricity

____ _____ involves a flow of electrons along a conductor

Electrical current

wood, plastic, glass, and ceramics. electrons stick tightly with these atoms which makes these materials great ____?

insulators

what does electricity need?

a conductor

What are the 2 types of electrcity?

Static electricity and Current electricity

what does NOAA stand for?

National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration

____ (electromotive force or electrical pressure) is electrical potential

Voltage

the function of a ____ ____ is to deliver power (measured in watts)

Electrical Circuit

the process of electricity flowing along a circuit is called electrical current or ____?

Amperage

electrciity occurs when there is?

a higher positive electrical charge

_____ ______ is a result of impurities in the conductor and disturbance of the structure

Electrical Resistance

Electrical resistance is measure in what?

ohms

____ is technincally defined as the work that a physical system is capable of doing in changing from its actual state to a specfied reference state

Energy

____ is energy used over time

power

the change from positive to negative to positive again is called one ___

cycle

Commerical power from utility companies is typically supplied at?

60 cycles per second or 60 Hz

Light exhibits both characteristics of a wave and of a stream of energetic particles called?

photons

What do Grid-Connected PV systems require?

an inverter to change DC current from the PV array to AC at the correct voltage

What is net metering?

an agreement with the electric utility, PV system owners are credited for the excess power they produce

What does PV stand for?

PV stands for Photovolatic and is usually used when refering to Photovolatic technology

what do GFCI's detect?

small ground faults

A ___ ____ is an electromechanical device that performs the same protective function as a fuse

Circuit breaker

when a fusible strip of metal is installed in an insulated fiber tube it is called?

Cartridge fuse

when a fuse is encased in a porcelain cup is is called?

a plug fuse

the key element in a ___ is a strip of metal with a low melting point

Fuse

What does BIPV stand for?

Building Integrate Photovolatics